Means for controlling humidifying systems.



M. CURRY. MEANS FOR CONTROLLING HUMIDIFYING SYSTEMS Patented Oct. 29,1918.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 5. 19!?.

trol 'justable,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

meow cmv, or HOLYOK'E, uass'ncn USETTS, ASSIGNOB '10 AMERICAN THREADCOMPANY, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MEANS FOR CONTROLL IN G HUMIDIFYING SYSTEMS.

Patented Oct. 29, 1918.

Application filed December 5, 1817. Serial 110. 205,705.

To all "whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MALCOLM citizen of the United States, residin atcity of H01 oke, county of Hampden, State of Massac usetts, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Means for ControllinHuniidifyin Systems, of which the to owing is a ful clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates tov means for con- CURRY, a

trolling humidifying systems and has for its object to produce a new andimproved circuit controller which is simple construction, effective inaction an easlly adwhich is inexpensive'to construct and maintain.

The followingisa description of an em, bodiment of my invention,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

a system having a circuit controller ma in accordance with my invention;7

Fig. 2 is an end view of the valve in the water supply pipe and theactuating mecha nism therefor;

Fi 3 is a detail, partially in section, showing one of thecontrolling'contacts of my circuit controller; and

Fig. 4 shows a modified form of contact.

' Referring more particularly to the drawings, 11 are humidifiers ofordinary form. They are supplied with water from a pipe 2, controlled bya balanced valve 3, water. being supplied to said pipe through saidvalve from any convenient source of water pressure. The balanced valve 3has an operating lever 4, which is connected at 5 to a chain 6, one legof which contains a spring 7, so that the valve can be seated withoutdamage to any parts, and is connected to a crank-arm 8 while the otherend is connected to a crank-arm 9 of an actuating mechanism 10. Thechainpasses over a guide pulley 11, situated abovethe pipe 2, as shown moreclearly in Fig. 2. The actuating mechanism 10 is of any suitable type.The form shown is intended to represent diagrammaticall any one ofseveral electrically-conl ed spring driven step by step actuatingdevices now on the market for furnace regulators, and contains a motorfor driving the arms 8 and 9, these arms being connected upon a commonshaft rotating with the also to produce a circuit controller disk 12,which is driven from the wheel 13 through an ordinary train of gearing.The disk 12 has in it two ratchet teeth 14-44, adapted to be engaged bya pivoted pawl 15 of magnetic material. The ratchet teeth 14-44 arediametrically opposite and when the pawl 15 is in engagement with eitherof them, the disk 12 is held from rotation. When, however, the pawl 15is temporarily lifted by the electromagnet 15', the disk 12 revolves ahalf revolution until the other ratchet tooth is engaged and the vdiskis thereupon stopped. The disk 12 carries contacts 16-16 whichalternately engage with two of three brushes forming terminals ofcontrolling electric circuits during successive ,rests of the disk; thusboth the contacts 1616 engage the brush connected with the circuit 17While the contact 16, when the disk 12 is stationary in one position,engages in addition the brush connected with the circuit 18. The contact16, when the disk is stationary in the other position, with the pawl 15in en agement with the ratchet tooth 14:, ma es engagement with thebrushes and the circuits 17 and 19.

' The circuit 17 hasits other terminal connected to the metallic frame20 of a recording hygrometer forming part of my circuit controller andhas within it a source of current, such as a dry battery 21. A smalllamp 22 may be cut inand out of circuit by the switch 22, and being nearthe pointer of the hygrometer aids adjustment by its indication. Thehygrometer is provided with the ordinary recording disk 23 and-themarking pen pointer 24 pivotally mounted at 25 and also with suitableadjusting means 26. Slightly above the pivot 25 I rigidly connect ametallic cross-arm 27 to the member 24 and thus electrically connect itto the frame 20. This cross-arm is rovided with loosely hangingcontact-making devices 28 which are electrically connected to thememher-24 and ground through the cross arm 27. These contactmiakingdevices 28 pass through .insulating caps 29 on conducting screws 30,having cavities ,in their up er ends containing mercury 31 andconstituting circuit terminals whose contact surfaces yield to pressure.These screws are carried by an insulating support 32 and are adjustablerelatively thereto, being locked in position by lock, nuts 33. Thissupport 32 is pivoted at 34 to a suitable support, being is stopped insuch moved in one direction by a s ring 35 and adjustable against suchspring y an adjusting screw 36, so that the elevation of the screws 30can be changed, one being raised while the other is lowered. The member32 carries an indicating pointer ,32', which moves in front of a scaleupon the 'frame 20. The hygrometer is operated in a well known manner byhorse hairs 37 connected fixedly at their upper ends 38'to the upperportion of the instrument and at their lower ends to a sector 39,connected to the (pointer 24. 40 is a counterbalance for hol ing thehorse hairs 37 under tension.

In the operation of this device, the screws 30 are adjusted relativelyto their support 32 in such position that when the pointer 24 is in aposition greeof moisture and the member 32 15 substantially parallel tothe bar 27, neither of the contacts 28 will be in engagement with themercury in the corresponding terminal. The separation, however, shouldbe very slightso that a change of a small percentage in the moisture ofthe atmosphere will result in a movement of the contacts 28 so that oneof the contacts 28 will come in engagement with the mercury in the cupof its terminal and close the proper circuit through the actuatingdevice 10. When it is desired to adjust a eircut. another de ree ofhumidity, the member 32 is adjuste by the screw 36 until the con tacts28 are out of electrical connection with both contacts 30 when thepointer 24 is in a position to indicate the desired humidity. Thecontroller therefor has in the adjustable terminals 30 means foradjustment for the amount of variation that can occur in the humiditywithout actuating the circuit closer, and in the pivoted support 32carrying the terminals 30 has means for adjusting the degree of humidityat which circuit closing will take place, subject to the variationpermitted by the adjustment of the contacts 30. I

With the parts as shown, the valve 3 is supposed to be closed. If thehumidity be comes too low, the pointer 24 moves to the left, closing thecircuit through the lefthand contact 28 and cup 30 and establishes aconnection through the circuit 18, which is completed bythe contact 16and conductor 17. This energizes the field magnet 15, which lifts thepawl 15, whereupon the clockwork begins to run and the lever arm 4 ofthe valve is elevated. After the arms 8 and 9 have turned through 180,the disk 12 osition that the contact 16 is in engagement with thebrushes connected with the conductors 17 and 19. The valve 3 being thusopened, water is supplied to the humidifiers and the humidity of the airincreases until when it has reached a point slightly above that desired,the arm the drawings with the valve 3 I valve 3.

' opened.

controller for.

is a yielding contact permitting a 24- of the indicator moves to theright, resulting in the closing of the circuits through the conductors19 and 17 and the release of the actuator 10, which acts to restore theparts of the system to the positions shown in closed. When the humiditybecomes too low, the first operation is again repeated and so on so longas the clockwork of the actuating device 10 is wound up, thus keepingthe humidity of the room substantially at any desired degree.

Where the humidifiers 10 are provided with electric fans 41, an electriccircuit 42 is provided, having contacts 43 controlled by contact 44 uponthe switch arm 4, the contacts 43 being electrically connected when thevalve 3 is open and disconnected so as to open. the eircu't when ,thevalve 3 is closed. The circuit 42 can also be controlled by a switch 45so as to cut the fans 41 out of circuit irrespective of the condition ofthe When the switch 45 is closed, the

'fan motor is started whenever Fig. 4 shows a modification in which,instead of having the loosely hanging contact 28 engaging mercuryprovide a metallic chain 46, which is adapted to make and break contactwith a rounded surface 47 of an adjustable terminal. The lowest link ofthis chain is electrically connected by a t arm 27, the connections tothe link and the arm being by solder. The sliding of the chain over theconvex surface of that terminal tends to keep it clean. In both forms atleast one contact of each co-acting pair pointer 24 to move afterengagement is made so as not to injure the hygrometer or interfere withits action.

As will be evident to those skilled in the art, my invention permits ofvarious modifications without departing from the spirit thereof or thescope of the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. In a circuit controller, a hygrometer having a membermoving in accordance with changes in humidity, grounded contacts canried by said member, a pivoted support, additional contacts insulatedfrom each other and carried by said support and co-acting with saidfirst named contacts respectively so as to form two pairs of contacts,one con- 120 tact of each pair yielding'to pressure, and means foradjusting said pivoted support about its pivot.

the valve 3 is hin coiled wire 48 with the so as to form two pairs ofcontacts, one contact of each pair ielding to pressure, means foradjusting said pivoted support about its pivot, and means for adjustingsaid additional contacts relatively to said pivoted support.

3. In a circuit controller, a hygrometer having a member moving inaccordance with changes in humidity, grounded contacts car- 10 ried bysaid member, a ivoted support, ad-

ditional contacts insulated from each other and carried by said supportand co-acting, with said first named contacts respectivel so as to formtwo pairs of contacts, said ad ditional contacts yielding to pressureexerted thereon by said first contacts, and means for adjusting saidpivoted support about its pivot, and means for adjusting said additionalcontacts relatively to their support.

MALCOLM CURRY.

